


Safe

by BeneaththeHalo



Series: GSR- Grissom/Sara Romance [2]
Category: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Implied Sexual Content, Touching
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-26
Updated: 2017-08-26
Packaged: 2018-12-20 06:05:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,108
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11914758
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BeneaththeHalo/pseuds/BeneaththeHalo
Summary: Grissom asks Catherine to do Sara's reports and evaluations for him from now on. He has to. For Sara. Set loosely during season 6.





	Safe

**Author's Note:**

> Wow. This is my first work in... a while. And my first writing these characters and this show, too. Enjoy!

Gil Grissom sat alone in his office, pen in hand, staring at a framed and displayed butterfly on his wall without really seeing it. He had a report sitting in front of him, one of Sara’s from her last case, and a near impossible dilemma on his mind. He  _ knew _ the kinds of questions he would be inviting by doing this, knew that it could lead to  _ everybody _ finding out, but at the same time he knew it was better than the alternative. He just couldn’t risk that. He couldn’t.

Finally, Grissom picked up his phone, dialling a number. “Could you come to my office, please?” he asked, before hanging up immediately. 

Luckily, the person he was looking for was not far away at all, and Catherine Willows appeared in his office within mere minutes. “What is it, Grissom?” she asked. “Do we have a case?”

“No, we don’t,” he said. “Not yet, anyway.” Grissom gestured to the seat in front of his desk. “Take a seat, please. And close the door behind you.”

Catherine did as her supervisor asked, her brow now furrowed in concern. “Is everything okay, Grissom?” she asked. “You look… worried. Concerned.”

“I’m just thinking,” said Grissom dismissively, even though he knew Catherine could tell that wasn’t really the truth. 

“You’re always thinking,” said Catherine. “This is different.”

Grissom hesitated. Sighed. Finally, he nodded to Catherine, his hand resting on the folder in front of him. “I need you to do something for me,” he said, lifting his hand and sliding the folder towards Catherine.

Catherine picked the folder up, curious. “This is one of Sara’s reports,” Catherine commented, flicking through the folder. She looked back up at Grissom, feeling thoroughly more confused than she had when she walked in. “What’s wrong? Has something happened?”

“No, no, nothing’s happened,” Grissom assured her. “Nothing’s wrong with the case, nothing’s wrong with Sara, and no one’s in trouble. I just… I need you to do all of Sara’s reports for me from now on. Her evaluations, too.”

“But  _ why _ ?” Catherine asked, looking at the folder and back up at Grissom again. She knew how much Grissom had done for Sara over the years. He'd been the one who'd brought her to Vegas, and she'd agreed to come because she would be working for him. And he’d refused to fire Sara even though she’d been insubordinate towards both Ecklie and Catherine herself. (Even though she had been angry, Catherine had always known there was something else going on there, a reason that that particular case had set Sara off, but she had never asked what it was. That was Sara’s business, and apparently Grissom’s, and Catherine wasn’t going to pry into something as presumably personal as that. If it was her,  _ she  _ wouldn’t want to tell anyone.) Grissom wouldn’t be asking Catherine to do this without a reason, and it definitely wouldn’t be anything to hurt Sara.

“Grissom,  _ why _ ?” Catherine repeated. “I’ll do it, but I need to know why.”

“I… I’m protecting her,” Grissom finally said. “Ecklie thinks I’m too close, the sheriff thinks I’m too close… they’re looking for a reason. This way, if anything happens…”

“Nobody can say that Sara’s only still around because of you,” Catherine finished. “No one can doubt anything that’s said about Sara or any recommendations about her, because it’s coming from me, not you.”

Grissom nodded. “Thanks, Catherine.”

“Does Sara know yet?” Catherine asked.”

“Not yet,” said Grissom. “I’m about to go and let her know. I’ll bring the files to you tomorrow.”

Catherine stood up and made to leave. She stopped in the doorway, hesitating, half a thought crossing her mind, before shaking her head and leaving. Sara may have been closest to Grissom (he was the one she’d known the longest, after all), but she was Catherine’s friend, too. Even after the rocky patches they’d had. If Grissom wanted to protect her from something like this, Catherine was only too happy to help.

 

***

 

Returning home that day, not long at all after he’d talked to Catherine, Grissom pushed open the front door almost tentatively. He could hear the TV playing, some sort of news program, so he followed the noise.

“You’re home late,” Sara Sidle remarked, turning off the TV and turning to face Grissom. “Something wrong?”

“That all depends on how you feel about the fact that I talked to Catherine,” Grissom told her.

Sara stared at him, shock written all over her face. “You  _ what _ ?” she exclaimed. “You didn’t- you didn’t  _ tell _ her, did you?”

“I didn’t,” Grissom assured Sara, crossing the room to sit down beside her. “What I  _ did _ do was ask Catherine to do your reports and your evaluations from now on.”

Now Sara was just confused. “Why would you need to do that?”

“Because  _ if _ anyone finds out, we’re protected. And there is a very high chance that they won’t split us up,” Grissom explained. “But if  _ I _ keep writing your reports, then we’ve got no chance.”

“Talking like we’ve got a future,” Sara laughed, but Grissom could see the seriousness in her eyes.

“I wouldn’t be dating one of my subordinates if I  _ didn’t _ see a future with her,” said Grissom.

“You wouldn’t be sleeping with her, either,” Sara retorted, pursing her lips in that way she did, a gleam in her eye. They definitely weren’t the most touchy-feely couple in the world, but Sara still reached out, stroking Grissom’s cheek. “She doesn’t suspect anything, right?”

Grissom shook his head. “I just told her that Ecklie and everyone else think we’re too close. That I’m protecting you.”

“Well, that isn’t  _ entirely _ wrong,” Sara remarked, her hand still on Grissom’s face, almost as if something was keeping it there. Grissom was silent, staring at Sara, almost as if he was waiting for something. He’d always struggled for words when it came to her, but that was how Sara  _ knew _ . Grissom very rarely struggled for words otherwise.

Admittedly, yes, Grissom did make Sara herself struggle for words too, but that was just another reason she knew how much his silence meant.

Finally, Grissom took Sara’s hand in his own, lowering it from his face and continuing to hold it tight. “Come to bed?” he asked, a twinkle in his own eye now.

“Why, Gil, I thought you’d never ask,” Sara joked, letting Grissom pull her to her feet and lead her to the bedroom. He was gentle with her, always gentle, and as his hands lingered all over her body, all over her skin, she felt  _ safe. _

“We’ll be safe,” Grissom whispered in her ear. “We’ll be okay.”

And Sara believed him.


End file.
